Director
Christopher Nolan
Leading Actors/Actresses
Guy Pearce
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
Genre
Mystery, Thriller
Language
English
Awards
Date of Release
2000
Producer
Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd
Setting and Context
Present day 2000 in an undisclosed city, seemingly Los Angeles
Narrator and Point of View
Point of View is that of Leonard.
Tone and Mood
Mysterious, Suspenseful, Complicated
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist is Leonard. Antagonists are Teddy and Natalie.
Major Conflict
Leonard has lost his short-term memory and must figure out who killed his wife in order to get revenge, while also evading any manipulation from other people.
Climax
Leonard learns that he has already exacted his revenge and has been being used by Teddy and Natalie in order to help them kill people.
Foreshadowing
The gun at the beginning of the film foreshadows that there will be murder in the story.
Understatement
There are several moments of humorous understatement about Leonard's condition, such as when he tells the waiter he absolutely has to write down the directions he's giving.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Allusions
Paradox
Leonard tells Sammy's wife that Sammy is physically capable of making new memories. He thought he was helping her, but paradoxically it caused her to have him give her an overdose of insulin as she wanted to prove that he could remember things when he couldn't. This in itself is also paradoxical because we learn at the end that Leonard has fused his own memories with the story of Sammy Jankis.
Parallelism
The abandoned building where Leonard kills Teddy is paralleled at the end of the film when we see Leonard and Teddy there after Leonard has killed the wrong man.
